Lightweight, compact air mattress with improved casing and inflatable members

ABSTRACT

A lightweight, compact air mattress particularly well suited for use for backpacking is disclosed. The air mattress is comprised of a lightweight, thin walled casing having a plurality of sideby-side elongated pockets and a plurality of inflatable tubular members removably mounted in the pockets. The casing is formed with access openings at both ends thereof adapted for insertion and removal of the tubular elements into the pockets from either end of the casing. The tubular members are preferably thin walled, thermal plastic extrusions which are sealed at each end to provide an inflatable chamber and to provide a tab at each end beyond the seals. Replacement of a punctured tubular member can be accomplished by opening both access openings to the casing, fastening the tab on a replacement member to the tab at one end of the punctured element, and pulling the punctured element out of the casing from the other end to pull the replacement tubular element into the casing. A casing having a layer of foam material on one side thereof to enhance thermal insulation is also disclosed.

United States Patent [1 1 Francis Jonathan Francis, 2217 Roosevelt Ave.,Berkeley, Calif. 94703 [22] Filed: May 13, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 468,941

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser, No.276,425, July 31,

1972, Pat. NO. 3,813,716.

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl 5/349; 297/DIG. 3 [51] Int. Cl. A47C 27/08 [58] Field ofSearch 5/348-350, 5/345 R, 344, 355; 297/DIG. 3

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 595,734 12/1897 Rand et al5/348 R 1,733,034 10/1929 Tufenkjian 5/348 R 3,290,703 12/1966 Worrall5/339 3,635,528 1/1972 Strom 5/348 R 3,774,250 11/1973 Miller 5/345 RFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 432,171 7/1935 United Kingdom 5/348 R1,889,927 10/1959 France 5/348 R Oct. 28, 1975 Primary Examiner-Paul R.Gilliam Assistant Examiner-Andrew M. Calvert Attorney, Agent, orFirm-Warren, Chickering & Grunewald [57] ABSTRACT A lightweight, compactair mattress particularly well suited for use for backpacking isdisclosed. The air mattress is comprised of a lightweight, thin walledcasing having a plurality of side-by-side elongated pockets and aplurality of inflatable tubular members removably mounted in thepockets. The casing is formed with access openings at both ends thereofadapted for insertion and removal of the tubular elements into thepockets from either end of the casing. The tubular members arepreferably thin walled, thermal plastic extrusions which are sealed ateach end to provide an inflatable chamber and to provide a tab at eachend beyond the seals. Replacement of a punctured tubular member can beaccomplished by opening both access openings to the casing, fasteningthe tab on a replacement member to the tab at one end of the puncturedelement, and pulling the punctured element out of the casing from theother end to pull the replacement tubular element into the casing. Acasing having a layer of foam material on one side thereof to enhancethermal insulation is also disclosed.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures US. Patent Oct. 28, 1975 Fig. 2

S CUT VALVE OPENING 96 [SEAL END 74/94 7 94 l cur TO LENGTH INSERTAND 7273 SEAL VALVE SEAL END Fig.3

LIGHTWEIGHT, COMPACT AIR MATTRESS wITII IMPROVED CASING NI) INFLATABLEMEMBERS RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-partof copending application Ser. No. 276,425, filed Jul. 31, 1972, now U.S.Pat. No. 3,813,716, patented Jun. 4, 1974, and entitled LIGHTWEIGHT,COMPACT AIR MATTRESS AND METHOD.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Undoubtedly, one of the highest prioritiesof outdoorsmen and campers is the enhancement of sleeping conditions atthe camp site. Accordingly, considerable efforts have been made in thedevelopment of sleeping bags and cushioning devices, such as airmattresses and foam pads on which the bags are placed. Foam pads,usually polyurethane or the like, have been found to have the advantageof lightweight and reasonably good cushioning. Such pads, however, areundesirably bulky when sufficient thickness employed to give adequatecushioning. Prior air mattresses have been undesirably heavy, althoughaffording superior cushioning. The above reference application disclosesa lightweight, compact air mattress having a plurality of removableinflatable tubular members of relatively small diameter which aremounted in a thin walled casing. This improved air mattress provides thedesirable cushioning, and it is very lightweight and compact whenstored.

It is highly desirable when any type of inflatable mattress is employedto be able to easily and rapidly make repairs. Moreover, the outdoorsmanmust be able to make repairs without special tools. In the lightweight,compact air mattress of the above-referenced application, it iscontemplated that the puncturing of a tubular member may occur.Moreover, one method of rapidly removing and inserting a new replacementtubular member is set forth. When, however, the air mattress is a fulllength air mattress and particularly when the tubes are small indiameter, the difficulty in connection with the replacement of suchtubular members, even with the method of the prior application, may besubstantial.

It is a further known disadvantage of air mattresses that they tend toconduct heat through the mattress at a substantially greater rate thanoccurs for foam pads. Thus, under cold conditions, a foam pad willprovide significantly greater thermal insulation than will an airmattress. The multiplicity of small cells in a foam pad slows heattransfer over the relatively large air-filled chambers of the airmattress.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide alightweight, compact air mattress having inflatable tubular memberswhich can be more easily replaced and repaired. I

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lightweight,compact air mattress having improved thermal insulation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method forinsertion and removal of inflatable tubular elements in a lightweight,compact air mattress.

The lightweight, compact air mattress of the present invention has otherobjects and features of advantage, which are set forth in more detailhereinafter, and will become apparent from the accompanying drawing andthe following description.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The lightweight, compact air mattress of thepresent invention includes a casing defining a plurality of sideby-sidepockets, a plurality of inflatable tubular members removably mounted inthe pockets, and the improvement comprising, briefly, the casing beingformed with an access opening proximate each end of the casing, eachaccess opening being adapted to provide access to the pockets forinsertion and removal of the tubular members through the accessopenings. The access openings further preferably are formed with closuremeans, such as zippers, and the tubular members are preferably formedwith securement means, or tabs, on the ends thereof. Replacement of atube is effected by fastening the tab on one end of a punctured tube tothe tab on a replacement tube and pulling the punctured tube out of thecasing by the other end to simultaneously pull the replacement tube intothe casing. The air mattress further preferably includes extrudedtubular members and a layer of foam material secured to andsubstantially covering at least one of the sheet por, tions of thecasing to provide thermal insulation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTReferring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lightweight, compact air mattress ofthe present invention can be seen to include a casing, generallydesignated 61, hav' ing opposed sheet portions 62 and 63 formed todefine a plurality of side-by-side elongated pockets 64. Pockets 64 arepreferably formed by stitching the upper and lower sheet portions 62 and63 together along longitudinally extending lines 66. Removably mountedin pockets 64 are a plurality of individual elongated inflatable tubularmembers 71, with each individual and inflatable member being providedwith its own valve means 72. Valve means 72 is preferably constructed ina manner enabling the maintenance of a positive pressure on the air intubular member 71 while the valve is being moved from the open to theclosed position so as to insure full inflation of the tubular members.This is particularly desirable when small diameter tubular members, forexample, about 2 to 2 1% inches in diameter, are employed. Myabovereferenced application sets forth a suitable valve structure inmore detail.

In order to enable mounting of tubular members 71 in pockets 64, casing61 must be provided with at least one access opening to the pockets. Inmy above referenced application, such an access opening is provided atthe end of the casing, and a zipper is employed to effect selectiveopening and closing of the access opening. The inflatable tubularmembers are inserted into the casing of my prior application by means ofa tab on the end of the tubular members having an open ing into which awillow stick or the like could be engaged and used as a rod to providethe necessary stiffness for insertion of a replacement tube into thecasing pocket. It has been found, however, that this structure andmethod of inserting tubes into the air mattress casing is undesirablytedious, particularly when the air mattress is a full length airmattress. It is difficult, for example, to obtain a 6 foot long,reasonably straight and smooth small diameter willow stick or the likein some locations.

Accordingly, in order to overcome the disadvantages noted in connectionwith the insertion of the inflatable tubes into the air mattress casingpockets, an improved air mattress casing is provided. The improvedcasing includes an access opening 81 formed proximate a first end 82 ofthe casing, and a second access opening 83 formed proximate second end84 of the casing. Each of access openings 81 and 83 are adapted toprovide access to each of pockets 64 across the width of the casing forinsertion and removal of tubular members 71 through the access openings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the access openings are provided by flap portions 86and 87 of the upper sheet portion 62 of the casing. Flaps 86 and 87 maybe laid back as shown in FIG. 1 to expose tubular members 71 as they aremounted in the pockets. As will be understood, flaps 86 and 87 may beconstructed so that they can be laid back from either or both sides ofthe mattress so that all of the pockets are readily exposed for accessto the inflatable tubes.

It is preferable in order to prevent the entry of dirt, twigs andforeign objects into the casing pockets that access openings 81 and 83further be provided with access opening closure means proximate each ofthe access openings and adapted for selective opening and closing of theaccess openings. Such closure means may be advantageously provided byzippers 88 and 89, which can be readily secured to the fabric sheetportions of the casing.

In order to further facilitate the replacement of tubes, the tubularmembers 71 should be formed with securement means proximate at least oneend thereof, which securement means is adapted for securement of areplacement tubular member thereto. The tubular members of myabove-referenced prior application are suitable for use with theimproved casing of the present invention. It is preferable, however, toform tubular member 71 with securement means in the form of tabs 73 and74 at both ends of the tubular members.

The method of replacing the inflatable tubes disposed in the improvedcasing of the present invention can now be described. If the accessopenings to the casing are provided with closure means, the closuremeans are first opened. Thus, zippers 88 and 89 are both zipped to theopen position to expose tubes 71. A replacement tubular member 71ahaving tabs 73a and 74a on the ends thereof, is positioned adjacent thetubular member to be replaced. Tab 74a on replacement tubular member 71amay now be secured to tab 73 on a first end of the tubular member to bereplaced. Such a securement can be advantageously effected by means of asafety pin 76 which can be pinned through each of the tabs withoutpuncturing the inflatable portion of the tubes. With the end ofreplacement tube 71a secured through access opening 81 to the end of thetube to be replaced, the camper may then grasp the second or oppositeend of the tube to be replaced through ac? cess opening 83. The campercan then pull the tube to be replaced outwardly to second access opening83, as indicated by arrow 77 and the phantom lines at the right of end84 of the casing. Since the replacement tube is secured to the tube tobe replaced, the replacement tube will be simultaneously pulled into thepocket vacated by the tube to be replaced through the first accessopening. When tab 74a of replacement tube 71a reaches second end 84 ofthe casing, the tubular member to be replaced may be released from thereplacement tubular member by releasing safety pin 76. Thus, the removalof the punctured tube is used to effect a simultaneous insertion of thenew replacement tube. The camper can, therefore, carry a small repairkit with the air mattress of the present invention. The kit wouldinclude one replacement tube, a safety pin, a small piece of tubingmaterial, and a small tube of adhesive. This kit would allow a rapidinsertion of a new tube and repair of a punctured tube.

When the tubes are formed with a tab at each end, all the valves 72 canreadily be maintained oriented proximate a single access opening, inthis case opening 81. If the tubes of my prior application having asingle tab are employed with the improved casing, replacement will beeffected readily, but the valves will be disposed at alternate ends ofthe casing.

In another aspect of the lightweight, compact air mattress of thepresent invention, improved thermal insulation is provided withoutsubstantially increasing the overall bulk and weight of the airmattress. As best as may be seen in FIG. 2, casing 61, having inflatablemeans or tubes 71 disposed therein, is provided with a layer of foammaterial 91 substantially covering at least one of sheet portions 62 or63 which form the casing. As shown in FIG. 2, layer 91 of foam materialis laminated to lower sheet portion 63 of the casing, either by means ofan adhesive or foaming layer 91 in situ on sheet 63. As will be seen,the layer of foam material 91 has a substantially smaller thicknessdimension than the diameter of tubes 71. For example, it is preferredthat layer 91 have a thickness of about A to A inch, whereas tubes 71are preferably about 2 to 2-% inches in diameter.

Foam material 91 can advantageously be formed of an open cellpolyurethane foam. The primary purpose of this layer is to reduce heattransfer through the air mattress, not increase cushioning. To somedegree, of course, the layer of foam will supplement the cushioningeffect of tubular members 71, but this supplementation is minor innature. Thus, the thin layer of foam enables the outdoorsman to have theadvantage of thermal insulation found in foam pads, together with theadvantages of an air mattress which is compact and light in weight. Itis possible to provide a foam layer on both sheets 62 and 63, althoughthere is an attendant increase in bulk of the air mattress, which maybecome undesirable.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic representation of the formation oftubular members 71 is shown. While it is possible to heat seal twoopposed sheets to form a tube suitable for use in the mattress of thepresent invention, it has been found to be preferable to form tubularmembers 71 by an extrusion process. Thus, extruder 92 may be used toextrude a continuous plastic tube 93, which can be rolled up on a reelor the like for storage. Tube 93 is preferably extruded at a diametersmaller than the desired end diameter of the tubing and with agreaterwall thickness. The tube 93 can then be enlarged with its wall thinnedby a blowingout process, well known in the extrusion art. Theblowing-out process produces a tube of the proper diameter and uniformwall thickness. If an extruded polyurethane film is employed, the wallthickness may be as low as 0.002 inches.

After the blowing-out process, tube 93 can be run through a baggingmachine to cut the tube to the desired length and effect a heat sealingof one end of the tube along line or seal 94. As will be seen, seal 94is inwardly of the cut end 96 of the tube to define tab 74 between theseal and the cut end. The next step is to cut a valve opening 97approximate to the end of the tube opposite seal 94. Valve 72 can beinserted in opening 97 and heat sealed or adhesively sealed in place. Inthe final step, a second seal 98 is formed adjacent valve 72 to define achamber between seals 94 and 98. Seal 98 is formed inwardly of the endof the tubular members so that the wall portions extending past seal 98provide tab 73. The process for formation of seals 94 and 98 can beemployed to laminate the wall portions forming tabs 73 and 74 togetherso that they act as a single member.

What is claimed is:

1. In a lightweight, compact air mattress having a casing includingopposed sheet portions formed to define a plurality of side-by-sideelongated pockets, and a plurality of individual elongated inflatabletubular members each being removably mounted in said pockets, theimprovement comprising:

said pockets and said tubular members having a diameter to length ratiopreventing manual insertion LII of replacement tubular members in saidpockets;

said casing being formed with an access opening proximate each end ofsaid casing, each said access opening being adapted to provide access toeach of said pockets for insertion and removal of said tubular membersto and from said pockets through said access openings;

access opening closure means mounted to said casing proximate each ofsaid access openings and adapted for selective opening and closing ofsaid access openings; and

each said tubular member is formed with securement tabs adapted forsecurement of a replacement tubular member to both ends thereof.

2. A lightweight, compact air mattress as defined in claim 1, and v atleast one replacement inflatable tubular member dimensioned for mountingin said pockets and formed with securement tabs proximate both endsthereof and adapted for securement to securement tabs provided on saidtubular members mounted in said pockets.

3. A lightweight, compact air mattress as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said access opening closure means are provided by zippers, and saidtubular members have a diameter tially covering at least one of saidsheet portions.

. II! i l

1. In a lightweight, compact air mattress having a casing includingopposed sheet portions formed to define a plurality of side-by-sideelongated pockets, and a plurality of individual elongated inflatabletubular members each being removably mounted in said pockets, theimprovement comprising: said pockets and said tubular members having adiameter to length ratio preventing manual insertion of replacementtubular members in said pockets; said casing being formed with an accessopening proximate each end of said casing, each said access openingbeing adapted to provide access to each of said pockets for insertionand removal of said tubular members to and from said pockets throughsaid access openings; access opening closure means mounted to saidcasing proximate each of said access openings and adapted for selectiveopening and closing of said access openings; and each said tubularmember is formed with securement tabs adapted for securement of areplacement tubular member to both ends thereof.
 2. A lightweight,compact air mattress as defined in claim 1, and at least one replacementinflatable tubular member dimensioned for mounting in said pockets andformed with securement tabs proximate both ends thereof and adapted forsecurement to securement tabs provided on said tubular members mountedin said pockets.
 3. A lightweight, compact air mattress as defined inclaim 1 wherein, said access opening closure means are provided byzippers, and said tubular members have a diameter of no more than about2-1/2 inches.
 4. A lightweight, compact air mattress as defined in claim1, and a thin layer of foam material secured to and substantiallycovering at least one of said sheet portions.